A Little Respect?

The Football Association's 'Respect' campaign, launched at the start of the season, now finds itself under intense pressure from the managers who pledged to back it.

The campaign in recent weeks has been criticised by top managers who are losing faith in the countries top officials. However, could the mangers fighting back against the system, instead undermine the role of the referees further?

After a weekend where Joe Kinnear branded referee Martin Atkinson as 'Mickey Mouse,' the officials' are shown to need an increasing amount of support, rather than the diminishing amount on offer. Paul Jewell has also confirmed that a growing number of managers are considering a withdrawal in support for the campaign, just three months after its launch. 

Modern technology is putting match officials under increasing scrutiny, as endless replays seek to demonstrate the referees' supposed incompetence. Furthermore, the internet ensures that bad decisions can spread in minutes, and ultimately, condemnation of the officials increases. 

Unless technology of some form is introduced, match officials will be forced to compete with the replays used by pundits and analysts, who have the commodity of a replay button and endless angles. 

Withdrawal from the 'Respect' campaign however, only holds the potential to undermine officials. The F.A. has reported a success at a grass roots level. It is not however a coincidence that at a level of minimum budget and technology, the level of abuse is also increasingly low.

By withdrawing backing, mangers run the risk of offering a 'vote of no confidence' in the system of refereeing, and in a time when its becoming harder to recruit officials, this can only be a bad thing for the game.